Technology is impacting our lives in many ways. Even treasure hunt games and Easter egg hunts are going high-tech.

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt game that combines cleverly hidden containers with a little help from technology. Basically, participants start by visiting the official global GPS cache hunt site, Geocaching. Players, called geocachers, search the website for exisiting treasures or add new treasure hunts.

Players use Global Positioning Systems (GPS) enabled mobile phones or devices to navigate to the treasure location by using coordinates and clues revealed on the Internet. The cleverly hidden containers, also known as caches, can be filled with tiny trinkets, treasures or GPS coordinates to other locations and can be located anywhere in the world. There are currently more than 1 million active geocaches around the world today.

Geocaching Basics

Visit the Geocaching website , the official global GPS cache hunt site, and register for a free membership. Premium memberships are also available.

Click the “Hide and See a Cache” link.

Enter a zip code and click “search.”

Select a cache from the listing.

Users must be logged in to see exact details of the cache.

Once a particular cache is selected, print the information found online. Some players create logbooks with the printed cache information and bring it on the hunt.

Enter the cache coordinates into the GPS and you are on your way!

Be sure to bring a pencil or pen, waterproof containers and gloves to protect your hands.

Players pinpoint the location with the help of GPS technology. While the GPS guides the geocachers to a location, the GPS coordinates do not pinpoint the exact location of the cache. Hunting and detective skills are often needed to find the hidden stash.

Caches

Caches can be hidden above or below ground, inside or outside of buildings, in trees or under rocks. Caches often contain a logbook or logsheet with information and notes from the owner as well as visitors who have located the find. Some containers include trackable coins called Geocoins or Groundspeak Travel Bugs, tags with unique codes that travel from cache to cache. Weapons, drugs, alcohol and food should not be placed in the cache.

Once the hidden cache is located, sign the logbook located inside the cache and snap a few photographs. When a trinket or treasure from the cache is removed, players must leave something of equal or greater value and return the cache to its hidden location for the next player. Share your scavenger hunt experience and photos with other players on the Internet.

Easter Egg Geocaching

Many people around the country are participating in a Easter egg hunt with a modern-day, high-tech twist. Traditional hide-and-seek Easter egg hunts are being combined with geocaching. Youngsters search for chocolate bunnies and colorful jelly beans while adults search for new caches. Hunters typically receive a set of coordinates at the beginning of the event. Participants search for the eggs which usually hold the coordinates for the next location.

For many people, finding a hidden treasure is the ultimate goal of a scavenger hunt. But for others, the ultimate thrill of the game is the hunt itself. Anyone can participate in this family-friendly activity. Whether a player is young, old or somewhere in between, geocaching is a fun way to enjoy the outdoors, explore nature and have fun.

If you are looking for some tips on GPS devices, please read Top Portable GPS Models for further information.

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Microsoft Sky Drive for File Storage

Microsoft's Sky Drive is available free to anyone. All the user needs is a Windows Live account, which is also free. Once the user has created his or her Windows Live account, he or she can begin uploading files. Each user is provided with 25GB of free online backup storage. Once the user logs into Sky Drive, they have the option of creating folders to organize data. When creating a folder, the user has the option of selecting who can access the contents of the folder. For example, the folder can be restricted to only the creator, or can be shared with others.

Key Benefits of Sky Drive

One of the best benefits of Sky Drive's online storage is that it can be accessed anywhere the user has a computer and Internet connection. The user does not have to worry about forgetting their USB flash drive or external drive at home. Another benefit of Sky Drive is it is provided by Microsoft, a stable company that is sure to be around for years to come, so the user does not have to worry about the company shutting down and losing access to data.

Microsoft Live Mesh for Online Storage and Synchronization

Microsoft's Live Mesh is another free online storage utility similar to Sky Drive with several key exceptions. Live Mesh not only allows the user to upload files, but those files can be synchronized with with multiple devices including the user's PC, laptop, or Mac. Live Mesh's synchronization capability makes it much easier to keep data up to date across multiple devices. Live Mesh also features a live desktop on the web where the user can view all their folders in one centralized location.

Remote Access from Any Location

Live Mesh also has another handy remote access feature. Live Mesh provides the user with a live desktop and can connect to another computer remotely. Live Mesh's remote access capability allows the user to access their desktop at home from any location as if they were sitting in front of their home PC or Macintosh.

Taking Advantage of Online Free Storage

Microsoft's Sky Drive and Live Mesh offer free online storage alternatives. Whether the user needs the large storage capacity of Sky Drive or file synchronization in Live Mesh, both provide a centralized location for data that can be accessed anywhere, anytime.These free tools will help users achieve greater flexibility, productivity, and economy.

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With the online market as saturated as it is, many web developers spend every ounce of effort in analysis, trawling through their web statistics via Google Analytics or Omniture.

In order to develop new and cleverer ways to expand their sites’ reach through better engineered keywords, they pay much attention to what keywords are attracting traffic to their sites. And it turns out, the words contained in some searches that web users tap into Google, Yahoo or any of the other search engines are actually quite funny.

Not only do the strange searches create for a humourous moment in a web marketers otherwise not too interesting profession, but it also highlights room for diversity in keyword development which is possibly why we see this topic talked about more and more.

Finding Funny Keywords a Pastime

Now worthy of at least one post in an SEO related blog, funny keywords have become a popular afterthought to the harder work of web traffic generation. In fact there are even websites dedicated to funny keywords.

Ranging from the weird to the wonderful, the keywords found in the research for this article included a host of themes and topics, from oddly arranged words to very specific questions. One can only imagine what was going through the minds of the Googlers who aome up with such bizarre concoctions of things to look up.

What Googlers Have Actually Searched for

Without further ado here is a random, non-categorised, completely non-ranked, impartial look at some funny keywords found on the web. In order to maintain the integrity of this site, the more garish, sexually natured keywords have been overlooked.

1. windows makes people untrusting of friends2. i will meet you on march 2nd3. how do you spell crown moulding4. Alcohol Is Not The Answer5.Best Ways To Kill My Boss6.Sleeping In The Bathroom At Work7.“si daca cizmele nu sunt o boala, atunci de ce sufletul este?” (translated: “And if boots are not a disease, then why is soul?”)8. “hats with vote written on it”9.“I guess I made a mistake”.10. “ways to make 7 and 8″11. "Why Does E = MC^2"12. "Why Does she hates me?"13. what can it mean when a man is intensely pursuing a woman and when she finally acts responsive he keeps pursing her but also tells her that he has a girlfriend?14. blue things you might see at a lake15. is it okay to run in sports bra with slightly flabby belly16. a poem to make my woman take out the trash17. my robot suit is squeeking18. i dont need any of your sassy frass19. hipwaders for short round people20. a good recipe for donut holes

What possessed them to search such random ideas only they will know. At one time or another every search engine user must have looked up something a little bit strange. Have you?

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The rise of any co-culture is dependent on the social norms of a particular time period. Nowadays, the main source of recreation and study is the Internet. A hub for both entertainment and business, the Internet attracts millions of users daily. Many of these people belong to the Net Generation or Generation Y. Even though Generation Y is often misunderstood by older generations, they deeply value relationships and community.

Understanding the Status of the Net Generation

People in Generation Y, having matured during the information revolution of the late Eighties and early Nineties, are viewed as young because many of them still reside with their parents. If they are working , they tend to have low-leadership roles and do not have much on-the-job responsibilities.

Some people think that this generation holds fewer authority roles in the workplace and, as a result, makes less money. Generation Y is also an individualistic culture, since most of its members are aware of their status as Millenials. Other dominant cultures, like Baby Boomers and Generation X, judge the substance and relevancy of Generation Y.

Older members of society often categorize younger adults as being impetuous because they do not conform easily to groupthink. Generation Y is viewed as having thrill seekers who do not hold themselves accountable for their actions. Generation Y makes decisions based mainly on their group climate, which is known as the digital age.

The Effect of Media Communications in the Digital Age

During Web-based times, everything moves quickly, which makes Generation Y rush to solve problems. Lack of rational thought and impetuousness are stereotypical qualities of Generation Y that have been perpetuated by media communications in the Twenty-first Century.

Another perceived characteristic of Generation Y is obsession. Many people believe that this generation is obsessed with computers, the Internet, and other forms of electronic technology. From Facebook to Twitter, there are many online services that cater to this co-culture. Older generations find Generation Y preoccupied with digital tools, such as email, cell phones, and the World Wide Web.

The Solution to Stereotyping Millenials

The only way to stem the tide of generation stereotyping is to increase communication between co-cultures. This will reduce negative elements, such as prejudice and distrust. If people talk and listen, they can make interpersonal communication better. Feedback will flow easily along channels from the elderly to the young. Everyone will learn to appreciate differences.

Generation Y has often been described as immature, irrational, and obsessive. These stereotypes are based on false impressions fueled by the media or mass communication. People who live all over the world participate in selective perception of Generation Y.

Because of the rapidly advancing digital culture, Generation Y not only grows up faster, but also learns how to use technology earlier. Other co-cultures will better understand Generation Y, once they acknowledge these differences without fear or prejudice. Through active, interpersonal communication, the entire global community will be able to appreciate Generation Y.

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As technology becomes more and more integrated into daily life, parents and teachers worry that it is causing people to lose their ability to think. Will people have less able long term memories if they can instantly recall data via their iPhone? Will people lose their spatial awareness if they can program their GPS devices to direct them everywhere?

Two recent studies focused on Internet searching behavior shed light on the subject. Taken together, they show that while extended use of new technologies definitely affects the brain, the effect is neither negative nor positive. The human brain has always learned from and adapted to new circumstances. More important to long-term brain behaviors and abilities is the interaction between an Internet search and the user’s goal.

Searching the Internet to Learn

Researchers at Penn State have sought to define Internet search behavior in terms of a learning model. People have different learning reasons for searching the Internet at different times, and thus different brain functioning. In their study, “Using the taxonomy of cognitive learning to model online searching,” (Elsevier, June 2009) Jensen et al. asked participants to complete Internet searches designed to access specific low to high levels of learning – remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.

The Task Determines the Search Behavior

Researchers tracked “number of queries, query length, unique terms, number of topics, session duration, [and] number of result pages viewed” for each of 476 searching tasks to determine whether different learning goals resulted in different types of searches. When participants were applying and analyzing they used more search terms, stayed online longer, and found more sources of information than when remembering and understanding. This difference is not entirely unexpected since applying and organizing are higher level tasks than remembering and understanding.

Interestingly, evaluating and creating (the highest level tasks) looked similar to remembering and understanding in terms of online searching behavior. The researchers hypothesize that when users evaluate or create, they look for facts in their online searches. They then rely on their own intellect, creativity, and decision making skills to complete the tasks offline.

The Penn State study showed that people’s behavior varies according to the task at hand. Thus, people are adapting new technologies to their own unique purposes rather than blindly following links. At UCLA’s Center for Aging, Dr. Gary Small and his colleagues proved that not only does only behavior vary, but brain patterns can vary as well.

Online Searching Activates the Brain

In “Your Brain on Google: Patterns of Cerebral Activation during Internet Searching,” (American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, February 2009), Small et al. reported that conducting online searches activates all of the same brain functioning as reading plus some more. The researchers performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) on subjects age 55-75 while they did two different tasks – searching the Internet for information requested by the researchers and reading a text about the same information.

Both tasks activated brain regions controlling language, reading, memory and visual functioning. For half of the subjects in the study, the Internet was a relatively unfamiliar experience. The other half of the subjects were considered experienced Internet users. For the experienced Internet users only, the search for information activity also activated areas of the brain controlling decision making and complex reasoning.

Seniors can use the Internet to Problem Solve

Just as in the Penn State study, users were not simply pointing and clicking, but using the Internet to augment a problem solving process. The authors cautiously attribute the results to the specific nature of the Internet and suggest that it may be helpful for aging adults to learn to use the Internet in order to alter their brains’ abilities to problem solve.

These studies point to the fact that new technologies are neither brain destroying nor brain enhancing. Rather, it is the task that matters. Searching to learn, expanding one’s horizons, stretching one’s intellect, and trying unfamiliar tasks exercise the brain whether they are done online or with traditional tools like encyclopedias and newspapers.

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Google is starting to look like Microsoft in the mid-1990s, say some business experts, and that may or may not be a good thing.

"There are many parallels between Google and a young Microsoft when it was a hip teenager," says Andrea Matwyshyn, Wharton School professor of legal studies and business ethics at the University of Pennsylvania. "The risk to Google is not learning from Microsoft's mistakes."

Google Challenges Technology Services Leaders

In 1998, Microsoft lost a lawsuit to Netscape when Microsoft attempted to strangle the competition by bundling Internet Explorer into the Windows operating system. Then, in 2002, an antitrust suit against the software giant forced Microsoft to share its application interfaces with third parties.

Now, Google is tangling with Microsoft by playing the same game. Google’s recent expansion into productivity software combined with its dominance in the search business has pushed Microsoft and Yahoo together into creating a competitive search engine, Bing. That venture is now under review by the U.S. Justice Department.

And now, it appears that Google is taking on Apple.

Apple refused to approve Google Voice to run on it’s popular iPhone because, Apple said, it replaced iPhone's distinctive user interface with Google's own interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail.

The Key to Search Engine Advertising is Mobile

The mobile market is one that Google cannot afford to ignore. According to recent statistics, mobile phone users accessing a search engine through their device has increased by approximately 71% in the last year and use of a mobile to access internet content has doubled in the same time period.

Access to the mobile market is vital because most businesses see the future of advertising there, says Eric Bradlow, a marketing professor at Wharton. Mobile access is the means to access consumers often and while the are more likely to be in the mood to purchase.

What makes Google different in this competition is that Google comes at everything it does with advertising at its core, say technology experts at Wharton.

Google isn’t interested in the hardware business, says Wharton management professor, David Hsu, Google just wants the information and advertising.

“Google is very much in business against any company that may interrupt its core search advertising model."

The Saving Grace of Google’s Search Engine Popularity

This ambition of Google’s could be good for the consumer. As the technology giants battle for market share, consumers will reap the benefits of more options becoming available to them.

But, since the Google collects so much information, it’s possible that one day it will be able to guess a user’s intentions from search behaviour, emails and text messages, and with that convenience comes privacy concerns.

Eric Clemons, an operations and information management professor at Wharton, says that Google’s brilliance lies in its popularity. It may never know any backlash from regulators or consumers because of its popularity.

"Google is as beloved as can be," Clemons says. “And now Google has created the illusion that Google is giving you something for free. But nothing is really free."

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According to PC World's annually published article “100 Best Products of the Year,” in 2016, the product to rank in at #2, just behind the #1 Apple App Store, was Google's free call forwarding service, Google Voice. Google Voice's myriad of useful features, straightforward setup, and price tag of zero all contribute to why this service deserves its number two ranking.

A Single, Convenient Phone Number

Google Voice's concept is a simple one. Users sign up, they get a free, unique US phone number of their choosing, and then never have to give out multiple phone numbers again.

With this service, users get a unique phone number that, whenever called, rings all of the phone numbers that they specify. No longer does someone need to manage his or her home phone, cell phone, work phone, and work cell phone numbers, because when the user's Voice number is called, all of his numbers will ring, ensuring a connection the first time.

Great Call Quality

Since Google Voice only acts as a proxy for phone calls, not as an actual phone service provider, call quality is just as clear as the user's cell phone or land line call quality. After someone dials a Google Voice number, the Voice system prompts him to state his name to be announced to the subscriber.

The Voice system then connects to the phone number that the subscriber specifies and the Google Voice system leaves the call. The caller is then speaking directly to the subscriber, the Voice system only intervening if the subscriber chooses to use one of Google Voice's in-call features.

Huge Range of Features

One of the best things about the Google Voice service is that Google provides many, many free features for subscribers to use. From Voice's call recording feature that allows users to record a consersation mid-call and play it back later, to the accurate voicemail transcription feature, this service is worth using just for all of the extras that Google provides.

With Google Voice, a subscriber gets a voicemail inbox with free voicemail transcription, free text messaging to any mobile phone, call screening, conference calling, and the ability to block calls at a whim. All of these features are completely free, making Google Voice the best call forwarding service money can't buy.Google Voice's call free service is without a doubt the best free call forwarding service on the internet or otherwise. With a myriad of useful and effective features, quick and easy setup, and no hidden fees, Google Voice certainly simplifies its users' lives. Anyone looking to make his life easier with the convenience of one central number and dozens of straightforward features should definitely check out Google Voice.

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No one site can provide all the answers concerning the Internet and the World Wide Web because nobody knows all the questions. Here we will continue to try to provide topics that will appeal to beginners and experts from kids to seniors.

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What does accessible web design mean?

Web design that everyone - regardless of

sensory,

mobility, and

cognitive impairments

- can access and interact with, using any kind of Web browsing technology, including: